If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Can Star Trek Be Saved?

My new issue of Entertainment Weekley arrived in the mail a few days ago and I just got around to reading this article about the dwindling rating for UPN's "Enterprise" and what to do about it.

Now, I liked the 1st season alright and unfortunatly I now work most Wednesday nights- so I miss it. But I've caught some reruns and read some episodes online. BUT between reading and watching I'm beginning to question the direction of the show.

I don't see how the producers of Enterprise are taking any direction to aim the series towards that of Kirk and Spock's time. The show isn't exactly "Seeking out new life, and new civilizations." Archer and crew just seem to be talking to other ships from their own ship and occasionally fighting. I like the cast, but where are they going? They're not "Boldly going" that for sure.

Thoughts? Comments?

"Maybe I can help you. I am Boba Fett. The ship you seek is nearby." -Boba Fett

My schedule doesn't permit me to catch the show very consistantly but I do make a point of watching it when I can. I really do like the Enterprise cast and I've liked the episodes I watched. The explaining of the ST universe backstory can only go on for so long before it become boring. They seem to have wrapped up doing that for now though. You're right that they seem to be just "wandering" rather than "seeking" which hurts the shows direction. Now I'm not the biggest ST fan so I might not be the best judge of Enterprise as a ST Show

"No one helped me so why should I help you?" - College professor circa 1999

I record all my television shows so I don't have a problem catching all the episodes of my favorite shows and I've been watching this series from the beginning. At first I liked the idea and thought the series was going for a more action-adventure feel to it but it slowly seemed to go the route of Voyager. It's stories became very predictable and the show started to exploit the fact that a portion of their audience was watching to get a look at the HOT female character in tight outfits or half naked in a decontamination shower. The show also lacks a scense of purpose or solid direction and there is never a feeling that the crew won't get out of whatever mess they're in without a single casualty. I think Star Trek suffers from the same thing it has always suffured from and that is a lack of continuity and deep character developement. If this show were to have more of a base story, much like Babylon 5 did, rather than the stand alone episodes we get now and invested some time in making the characters more interesting I think it would increase it's appeal. I do however think the shows producers might be aware of this because this next season sounds promising with the war storyline and might fix these issues. If the show doesn't change it will most likely be cancelled and the Star Trek universe will go away for a while and when it comes back, and it will, it might be completely different and that might not be such a bad thing.

Talk Show Host Interviewing Joker: “Your said to have only killed about 600 people Joker. Now don’t take this the wrong way but I think you’ve been holding out on us.”

Enterprise lacks great character development. KIrk, Spock and McCoy had a great relationship and you always looked forward to those inside jokes made by Kirk and McCoy at Spock's expense.

McCoy: "Spock you're the most cold-blooded man I've ever known."

Spock: "Why thank you Doctor."

There was great themed humor in the characters of Scotty, Sulu, etc. And many times the crew was in way over their head when the ship got taken over by space hippies (The Way To Eden) or Khan and his men (Space Seed). But Kirk always found a way out. Some of the best eposides EVER were ones with ridicleous plots like The Trouble With Tribbles and I, Mudd.

On most episodes of Enterprise, The ship flys around, Archer and a crew mate fly down to a planet, get captured, beat up and somehow end up back on the ship at the end. Phlox looses one of his pets in sickbay, Hoshi comes across another language she cant figure out, the ship gets fired upon and we get another scene where T'Pol looks great in practically nothing. Each episode gets farther away from the other Trek shows without much humor or adventure.

"Maybe I can help you. I am Boba Fett. The ship you seek is nearby." -Boba Fett

Ah, Babylon 5, I loved that show right up until the anti-climatic end to the Shadow War. B5 is the best Sci-Fi show series that hit the airwaves in my opinion. The characters and plots were top notch. I can't remember any other shows where I've ended up yelling at the top of my lungs in disgust or excitment at characters in a series. Great stuff....until the end of the Shadow War.

Star Trek seems to always base it's plots on the Enterprise and it's crew being out-classed in every regard but some how pulling it out in the end suprising their adversary. God, if they spent less time driving around the galaxy getting their butts kicked by some small ship throwing rocks and developing some shields that could withstand a fart's wind they wouldn't have gotten in so much trouble.

"No one helped me so why should I help you?" - College professor circa 1999

I like the show, but I'm frustrated with the general lack of exploring new worlds and whatnot. I think that problem comes in the form of the 2 lead characters, Archer who seems to be on top of everything and be the perfect TNG-era captain, and T'pol who seems to care for not about anything really. I've felt VERY excited about seeing this universe from Trip's eyes though whenever that comes up, he genuinely feels like an explorer who is well trained but in over his head and flying by the seat of his pants, I wish there were more well-written stories that centered around Trip -- his character more than any other IMO embodies the nature of classic Trek's idealism which is lacking from other characters (though Phlox has grown on me a bit... Mayweather must be supplying the excess character for Phlox to leech off since Helmsman Mayweather is dull as dishwater). Oh, and the music is way too TNG-and-beyond orchestration, none of it is moving, just "safe". Let's get back to a smaller band with brash sounds that really stress the emotions of the scenes.

The "new direction" they're taking next season sounds to me like a classic Rick Berman mess, just slap some ripoffs of SW and Voyager together and you've got yourself a new premise. BAH! I'll still watch, but I am not sold.

I don't think the show can get better until either 1 of 2 things happens: either Archer changes to be more a hero and a Horatio Hornblower type, or they fully embrace the temporal cold war thing and start messing around with the timeline so they can explain the canon changes and set the show up for a big finale where Archer sacrifices himself, the ship, the crew, and their place in history for the greator good. But no, instead it's "more action" and probably another disappointing Voyager show.

BTW, B5 rules right up until season 5 when TNT totally screwed up the show. That's what got me into the fanboy end of the internet really.

Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.

Kylo Ren - came from Space Brooklyn, although he moved to Space Williamsburg before it was trendy.

The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.

I do. It's a good song. Catchy. But it's not Star Trek. I think they should have a Boldly Go opening like Star Trek and TNG. But they wouldn't do that because the Star Trek franchise is Rick Berman's toy and he THINKS he knows whats best.

"Maybe I can help you. I am Boba Fett. The ship you seek is nearby." -Boba Fett

the Star Trek franchise is Rick Berman's toy and he THINKS he knows whats best.

Jay just figured out the entire problem with the current Star Trek.

I enjoy the show, and really don't have many problems with it except that I wish it was better. I really can't put my finger on it. It just needs "something". I'm excited about the next season, and hope this may jump start the series.

Good points JT, I love the character of Trip. The episodes that I've found the more enjoyable are those revolving around him. As you said, he has that true explorer feel about him. He's truly Boldly Going where as the rest of the crew seems to be Slowly Going.

As for the theme song, it's fine by me. Not of the same style of the previous shows but change isn't always bad.

"No one helped me so why should I help you?" - College professor circa 1999

I had downloaded an alternate version of the Star Trek intro, and it was much better. I'm not sure that is was the real thing, but the score put to the intro was much better than the lame song. Has anyone else checked the alternate intro out?